GARDENING CH
Climbing up the wall YOU CAN CREATE AN ATMOSPHERE OF TOTAL SERENITY IN ANY SPACE BY ADDING A LIVING CANOPY THAT WILL BE A COOL, QUIET HAVEN, SAYS JASON HODGES
you are going to grow plants all
PERGOLAS, awnings, gazebos
support growing plants until they
are all valuable assets to a garden.
can hold their own weight.
They create height and level
over your structure so you want it to be strong. For spanning larger areas, tensioned wire is the best, as you can adjust it over time and keep it nice and tight. Fencing wire or even thick-gauge fishing line will
I have wisteria growing along my
changes. They can range in price
veranda on stainless steel ten-
from as little as $100 for an arbour
sioned wire. It hangs down per-
to span a path to the cost of a
fectly and shades the brickwork
small renovation.
on the western side of my house.
A simple, cost-effective way to
In 12 months it has changed the
achieve the same shading effects
appearance of my house nicely. It
and points of interest in the gar-
has cooled the brickwork and
den is with climbers.
dropped the inside temperature
can be a plus if your structure is
considerably this summer.
semi-permanent and the plant can
Wisteria, jasmine, and ivy are my favourites. Ornamental grape
On the downside, wisteria is fast
outlast it.
and an Australian native harden-
growing and if I did not prune the
Ornamental grape is a classic
burgia are also excellent examples
vertical shoots off every couple of
look for outdoor areas in Italy, the
of climbers that can turn your
weeks, it would grow up and
south of France and Greece, so if
patio or entertaining area into a
under my roof and damage the
you want a little bit of the Mediter-
beautiful, lush and cool part of the
house in a very short period. If you
ranean in your backyard, it’s a
garden.
are not a keen gardener or if you
must. It’s fast growing and re-
are easily forgetful, I don’t recom-
quires wires or mesh to wrap
mend it.
around. You can prune it back
Your plants will set you back a fraction of the cost, and your frame can be made from whatever
Ivy and ficus are great climbers
you can get your hands on. I have
that attach themselves to surfac-
you can let it grow wild and prune
seen landscape designers use old
es. They can also be very vigorous
it to shape.
hard in winter (it’s deciduous), or
gal pipe and concrete mesh with
and get away if not clipped often.
great effect. Old fence posts and
Their thick, strong main branches
native hardenburgia. It has flowers
rails can be used, but remember
hold their weight over time, which
of mauve and white, similar to
My all-time favourite is the
wisteria. It is evergreen and it flowers best in winter when the garden is looking its dreariest. Hardenburgia is an excellent ground cover and bank binder too. For it to climb, it will need something to cling to like mesh or wire. You don’t need to spend big money on an outdoor room. Grow one and you won’t just save money, you will create a cool, tranquil area that won’t take space away from your garden. Jason Hodges is a presenter on Channel Seven’s Better Homes and Gardens.
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